On December 1 the American Red Cross- East Central Wisconsin became the most recent Wisconsin chapter to offer the Nursing Assistant Training Program. The state-approved program will give attendees the appropriate knowledge and skills to pass the state certification test and become a Certified Nursing Assistant.

The Lakeland Chapter has offered the training program in Green Bay, WI for 17 years and until recently was the only program in Wisconsin that did. The program has been provided By the Western WI Chapter in Altoona for over a year and now is in Waupaca. Other chapters are also considering the program.

Dawn Krull, Director of Health and Safety Services, says that the experience of the Lakeland Chapter’s program can help others with everything from forms to best practices. “Working as a region we can pool our resources together.”

The skills and knowledge gained from this course enable nurse assistants to provide quality care for residents in nursing homes, as well as supplemental information and skills to enable them to provide quality health care for clients at home and patients in hospitals.

According to the Department of Labor, 21 percent of all health care industry jobs are in nursing and residential care facilities and the health care industry makes up 11 percent of the employment industry in the Fox Valley according to a 2006 report.

The Red Cross has a long tradition of volunteer service in health care including Jane Delano who organized supplies and 8,000 nurses to be made available during World War I and Clara Barton who brought supplies and food to wounded soldiers during the Civil War.

The next session of the Green Bay program begins on January 11 and runs through February 19. The next session at Waupaca County Red Cross office begins January 7 and runs through February 1. The program is designed with input from educators, caregivers, and long-term industry representatives from across the United States. The American Red Cross Nurse Assistant Training course is approved by the State of Wisconsin Department of Health Services and provides students with job skills needed to become a qualified CNA.

The cost of the course is $750 and $115 for the state test to complete certification. There are still spots available in Green Bay, so registration is still open. For copies of the training program registration packet, please call the Health and Safety Services Department at 920-227-4290 or 1-800-733-9909 or pick up a registration packet from the department at 2131 Deckner Ave., Monday-Friday, 8 AM – 4:30 PM.